Racing against destiny
by Tenshi of the Dark
Summary: Ginny has only one mission let for her after what had happened: get to the past and do whatver it takes to make sure that Draco will never reach his destiny. That means getting past all the obstacles thrown at her, even the hardest one to get by, love
1. the only ones left

Note: This story was inspired by pure boredom! I don't know why on earth I am writing this but I've read a lot of stories about time traveling so I decided to try! Let me know what you think. I mean, I thought about making Hermione be the main character in this fanfiction but the idea has been so done! She is one of my favorite female characters in forever but Ginny needs some attention. She didn't play a huge role in the actually book and I think that she should get a chance to shine. Ginny is so sweet! Hopefully, I can alter her character a little.

Nah, I'm just kidding ;)

Harry Potter Does not belong. Don't I wish though!

* * *

_Not so bad. Not so bad at all. _Not even saying it out loud could make her feel better. It just made her feel even more of a monster. The two figures stumbled in from the banks of the coast, having Disapparated wrong. They had to hurry. A lone figure was watching them from the window. Willowy and tall, good enough to make out their faces.

' Bill, Bill, iis za not yur seester?" Fleur asked. Bill peered out the window, holding Victore's hand. The little toddler cooed and giggled. Bill's eyes narrowed and he squinted in the dark shadows of the hills. It was winter, three years after Voldemort's defeat and the return of peace in some words. Harry Potter had been known as a hero of the ages, the bravest soul alive and one of the most foolish. The peace had not lasted though. More and more troubles were beginning to brim over the horizon. After Voldemort's defeat, the Dementers now obeyed no one and were roaming the country, sucking on helpless souls. The Death Eaters had regrouped, rallying up with a new leader, one who remained unknow. The mass panic was unimaginable. Kingsley had tried to keep everything in control, telling the people that Harry Potter, their lead auror was on the job. He and Ron, Hermione, George and Ginny had gone to seek out the new threat. They had left a year and a half ago, tracking down the retreating Death Eaters south to new land. No way could they be back so soon. There was a soft drumming on the roof, a soft sound that was as eerie as it was soft and comforting. Rain. During winter?

Bill looked closer, seeing past the twisting shadows of the night. Everything looked alive, everything was all warped up. Much too quiet for this time of the year though.

" Blimey, it is Ginny. And Hermione!" Bill seized a cloak lying on the sofa and draped it around himself hastily, wrenching the door open so hard, he nearly broke the frame. His boots were soaking in rain and pretty soon, his cloack was damp with stray raindrops.

" Bill!" Ginny's voice made him stop. Made him stop cold. She never sounded like that. Ginny nver sounded scared. She was tough, tougher then most people Bill knew, including himself. His throat closed up as she got close enough for him to see. The heavy shower of rain made it impossible for him to see her face but the sound of her voice was enough. Something bad had happened. He lengthened his stride, reaching Ginny in a couple of bounds. He grabbed her by the forearms and Ginny leaned forward in his embrace. A muffled choke of fear seemed to call Bill back to Hermione. Hermione looked awful, though Bill couldn't see her. He released Ginny and looked at her.

" Hermione, are you alright?"

Instead of answering, Hermione ave a sort of choked up sob and fell as her knees gave way. Ginny lurched forward to catch her. They looked like war survivors. No regards for questions, Bill ushered them into the living room, nver mind that they were making the Victorian carpet soggy. Fleur came in with Victore in her hands and her eyes widened.

' What 'appened?" She cried.

"Oh mon Dieu, qu'est-ce. Êtes-vous blessé? "She added in french.

" What happened? Are you hurt." Bill translated for them. Fluer's hair had been swept back into a high ponytail and Victore was unsuccessfully trying to loosen a few strands to pull on. Fleur handed him the baby and ushered Hermione and Ginny into the showers, closing the door behind her with a meaningful glance at Bill.

" Call ze Order of ze Fephix," Fleur said," And do et quickly." She shut the door again and Bill could hear the shower running and the sound of Fleur exclaiming out loud in French. Victore squirmed in his arms and he looked down. Victore was an exact mini copy of her mother and that worried him slightly. Not because she looked nothing like him, no. He was there in the slight red highlights in her hair and the long fingers. But everywhere else was Fleur and that was what worried him, his daughter being part Veela. She was an adorable thing, Mrs' Weasly had said. Victore was just turning two, three sometime in spring. She was rather thin for a toddler and more proportionally even. He didn't want any boys trying to flirt with her while she was in her first year at Hogwarts or wherever she would go. He didn't like all the attention that she would get.

He shook himself slightly and set her down on the rug. He took the bag of bag of powder and threw it in the fire place. It turned green, hissing.

" The Burrow!" He said loudly and clearly. There was silence and then he was staring at a pair of rather plump feet.

" Mum? Is that you?"She shrieked and nearly dropped something by the way she stumbled. There was nothing for a few seconds then Mrs. Weasly's caring face was suddenly staring at him in the fireplace.

" Bill, oh, Bill! Thank goodness that you are alright!" She seemed to be on the verge of tears. Bill decided not to tell her about what state Ginny and Hermione were in." Bill, oh the Order! We need to talk.."

" Yeah, mum," He interrupted," Ginny and Hermione are here."

" There? Oh goodness, are they alright? They didn't get hurt, did they?"

" No, mum, they're fine. But..I think that you and the rest of the Order might want to come here this afternoon so that they can tell us all at once. And whatever it is you need to tell us, you can do that also." was silent for a while. Her hair was licked at by the fire and made her look like her entire hair was on fire. She bite her lip and looked at Bill with uncertainty.

" All right. We'll be over at around nine for in the morning tomorrow." She said and thrust her head out of the flames. At once the green flames disappeared. Victore reached out to touch the lames and Bill automatically reached out a hand to stop her. Suddenly, his head was starting to hurt like patted his cheek impatiently and her stomach grumbled. Bill had a smile on his face, a weary one though.

" Hungry, are you?" She nodded excitedly," Well, I guess that you may look like your mother but you eat like my sister, Ginny. Blimey, she use to eat so much and mum was sure that she would be properly plump but no, she was as thin as a scarecrow..alright, alright! I'll get started on dinner, already!" Victore laughed as her father went to the kitchen, holding the cheek that she had just pinched. He looked in the fridge and took out a packet of bacon.

" Bacon for Denner, Bill?" Fleur said from behind him. He turned back sheepishly.

" I can't cook...," He stared at Ginny and especially at Hermione. To say that they looked like hell would be an understatement. Hermione's hair had been cropped short, nearly a buzz cut, her eyebrows singed uneven and a large black and purple bruise on the side of her cheek. On her right hand was a burned mark and around her neck were evidance of chain marks, metal was no better, one side of her bright red hair covered i unmistakable blood. Feeling sick, Bill collasped on the chair, looking away from them. If he saw even another scratch on Ginny, he was going to lose it. His head was starting to pound and he rubbed his temple a bit harder then needed.

" I don't want to know everything but what the hell happened?" He asked. He heard one of them swallow dryly.

" We would love to Bill," Hermione croaked," But, I feel like.." She nearly fell except that Bill caught her.

" What happened to her?" He asked. Ginny sniffled and looked up. It was remarkable how much three years had changed her. Her face was hardened, brighter, in some eyes beautiful. But right now, she was covered in so mcuh blood and misery, no one could help feeling sorry for her.

" The..the crucio curse," Ginny whispered,' Bellatrix...,"

" Beelatrex?" Fleur asked." I thought she was dead, Bill?" She picked up Victore from the ground and put her on her highchair, going to the stove to whip up something editable.

" Bellatrix fired it off in an array of directions. I was alright because I was hidden and they missed me but...," She faltered and sat down on the chair, put her head in her hands and began to sob quietly. Fleur and Bill exchanged worried looks. Fleur let Victore sit on Ginny's lap, where Victore amused herself by twisting and pulling Ginny's long hair this way and that.

" Ginny, ess everyzing alright?" Fleur asked.

" I-I wish I could tell you now, but...I have to take Hermione to get some sleep," She said bluntly, sounding like the old Ginny again. With amazing strength, she heaved Hermione to her feet and half-carried her up the stairs. Vicotre pouted as Ginny walked away.

" Do you get the feeling that they are hiding something?" Bill asked.

" Mmm, ze are teenage girls. Zey could 'ave boyfriends or something and you would never know. Zey are very clever, are zey not?"

" Yeah...and that's what worries me."

* * *

"Just sit down, Hermione," Ginny commanded. Hermione sank down on the bed. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing feverishly.

" Who..would've thought that...that he would be the New Dark Lord?" Hermione croaked out." I can't believe that Harry didn't see that."And...to-to think that he was just coping up with Fred's death..."

" Hermione, are you going somewhere with this?" Ginny didn't want to sound blunt but the previous journey's had made her unaware of emotions. Right now she was numb to the core. All those loses and for what? They had failed and at such a high cost to find out that they had always been wrong.

" I can't believe that we didn't find what we were looking for," Ginny said," I can't believe that you actually went to Albania to fail to get it."

" Listen, Ginny..I'm sorry about George..," Hermione began. Ginny closed her eyes and shivered. He had died so horribly, Ginny didn't want to think about it.

" We..didn't fail," Hermione said in a whisper and Ginny's eyes snapped open, alert.

" What do you mean Hermione? Just because the two of us survived is not good news you know. it just meant that we were bloody lucky,"

' No, it's not that, it's-it's this,' From her tattered robes, Hermione withdrew a blood red locket, with green sheen to it, a weird yet intimidating color. In the middle of it was the Slytherin mark, the snake and it's head stared at Ginny as though daring her to touch it. The chain was nearly broken. It was made of pure gold but that wasn't what was so special about it. Ginny sucked in a deep breath, staring at it.

" Is it rreal? The...the Travel Stone. Blimey, it..it does exist...but he got it first, didn't he?"

Hermione shook her head.

" No...I would tell you, Ginny but my throat is so dry. Get _Hogwarts, A History _and read page 345," Ginny did as Hermione had said, staggering against the weight. She flipped the pages she hadn't seen in so log. Three years. She hadn't even finished her seventh year at Hogwarts. With a wistful sigh, she opened it and read aloud:

'_Many centuries ago, Salzaar Slytherin got very territorial about the selection of students allowed. Griffindor did not agree with these term however and the founding wars began. Helga and Rowena were forced into taking sides. Helga went with Gordic Gryffindor and Rowena with Salzaar..'_

" That little old toadstool!" Ginny blurted out before reading again.

_'...Salzaar knew too well that in the war, he would most likely be the one losing. Rowena encouraged him to come up with a solution for the Slytherin house to continue its base traditions of the direct descendant of Salzaar Slytherin to be regonized. Slytherin made a brief term of agreement with Rowena and set out to find a powerful locket called the Blood Ruby, now called the Travel Stone or the Stone of Destiny. Using the most powerful magic possible, he made the locket and hid it away from the others. Not even Rowena knew about what he did then, putting a curse and a blessing on the locket. The blessing was that in every century, the locket would find the purest pure blood to give its alliance to and give that person everything they could want-money,power, woman..'_

" Hmpppppf!" Ginny said

_'Or fame-but there also was a curse. The locket knew if the pure blood was purest or not and if it was not a direct descendant, then the curse trap activated. The lust of power would consume them and their own family members, loved ones, friends would find some way to be made to that person and..and cut off his head. Up to the late nineteens hundreds, the locket's bloody trail has left an impact on the wizard and human world alike. The last time the locket was seen was with the young man known as Tom Riddle then mysteriously disappearing form more then a hundred years...' _What is this rubbish, Hermione? We risked our lives for a piece of jewelry? I mean, I love necklaces as much as the next girl does but really, the price was a little too high don't you think?"

" No, Ginny, don't you get it? Tom Riddle, Voldemort had the locket and he was a direct descendant of Salzaar Slytherin. Now we find out that the Dark Lord also wants it. Don't you think that the new Dark Lord would want it so that he can with for whatever he desires? I mean, I'm pretty sure that Tom Riddle wanted power and that was what the locket gave him but his ancestry was too crowded with Muggles so he wasn't the right one. But what if the New Dark Lord is a direct descendant? What if the locket could take us back to when the Dark Lord was at his weakest and take him down there?"

" You are starting to scare me, Hermione,' Ginny said.

" It's just practical.' Hermione said." We did not come all this way just to lose now...not at the price.,"

Ginny bit her lip and looked down at her badly bruised palm. Hermione was right, but Ginny didn't think that she would be able to kill sombody. The thought of Harry and Cho made her made. Made her really mad The thought of Geroge tore her heart apart.

" Okay..., if it works, I'll do it." Hermione managed a faint grin and closed her eyes.

" You are a smart girl," She said.

" Not smart,' Ginny whispered," Practical." A dry sob escaped from her throat but not the full blown cry out she was expecting. Hermione bit her lip to keep from crying. That waas when Bill came in.

" What is it, Bill?" Ginny asked softly. She had always liked Bill best of her brothers because, well, he was the only one who actually left her alone when she wanted to be alone. He didn't try to pry and now was one of those times.

" It's time for dinner," He said at last. Ginny nodded and Hermione struggled out of bed. Fleur had made a feast, a suprise because they had only been upsairs for fifteen minutes. Victore cooed happily.

" Time for deener," Fleur announced happily. She piled up double helpings of everything on Ginny and Hermione's pate, insisting that they build up energy. Ginny almost smiled but the simly movement felt wrong on her cheekbones, almost unnatural. Victore sat next to her and played with her hair, laughing contently like any baby. But unlike any baby, when Ginny hadn't payed her any attention, she had a full out tantrum, meaning that her arms had truned all scaly. After that Fleur Had the dinner moved to the living room.

' Mum will be here in the morning," Bill said to Ginny. Ginny froze then nodded slowly, her facade mask never slipping.

" Yeah, I'd love to see Mum again." She and Hermione left after that.

' Get the feeling that they are hiding something?' She heard Bill whisper.

_You have no idea.__

* * *

_

Okay, Author's not time: That was my first chapter on my first Harry Potter fanfiction. I hoped that it was good? Any type of review is good, especially the ones that ell me what I did wrong. Weird right? But that helps my story be beter! Review and tell me what you think.


	2. Order of the Phoenix

I'll skip the night just because I got bored and needed to update quickly. In this chapter, we'll find out how the Order of Phoenix has been doing!

* * *

" Ginny, relax. Your mum is coming in a while. Zey are very glad to see you." Fleur's accent was barely noticeable anymore except for her 'th'. But her words were hollow. Ginny had been tensed up since she had woken up. She tried to swallow her eggs quickly and ended up choking on them. Hermione wasn't faring any better. Her hair was still disheveled and dark circles were smearing her face. She was still extremely jumpy and started at the smallest noises.

" Blimey, Hermione. You don't look so good." Bill said as a way of a greeting. He sat down opposite of Ginny and grabbed a stack of toast. He handed one to Victore, who tore it to shreds with her toddler teeth. Fleur watched them affectionately. Then, she swiveled around to look at the clock. It was five to nine. Ginny grabbed her coffee and drained it in a few blistering hot gulps. It burned her tongue and she washed it down with a piece of bacon. After that, she lft her plat untouched. The locket pressed on her neck icily, like it wanted to jump loose. I twas well hidden under her turtleneck and robes but it felt like a giant lump had nestled under her skin.

" Oh, it's no good." Hermione said hysterically." I can't eat!"

" Why not?' Bill asked.

" Poison." Hermione mouthed out." It's happened before." Ginny nodded reluctantly. When she looked up again, it was nine exactly. Bill looked up too.

" Oh, looks like they are here." He walked over to the fireplace.

' What do you mean they?" Hermione asked.

' The Order of the Phoenix. Or at least who's left of it." Bill said grimly. A second later, the fireplace was bathed in green flames and a couple of people ell out.

" GINNY!" Mrs. Weasly quickly detached herself from the others and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. Ginny swallowed a lump in her chest and hugged her back.

" I've missed you too, mum." She whispered. When Mrs. Weasly had at last dried her own tears, she looked around. There weren't a lot of members let at all: Kingsley, Percy, Mr. Weasly, Mad-eye,Tonks and Professer McGonagall. Tonks had been a lucky survivor of the fight for Hogwarts, barely surviving and spending half a year in a coma. Same for Mad-eye, who had been captured and escaped a year previous.

" Ginny!" Tonks, who hair was now long and black, came forward to hug her. Teddy Lupin was clutching her legs. Ginny picked him up, regretting the fte of his father.

" Ginny, you look horrible. So do you, Hermione." Tonks said cheekily.

" Thanks so much,' Hermione said dryly."Hello, Percy." Percy pushed his glasses up higher.

' Hello, Hermione. Ginny. It is very good to see you two."He sat down after that, dipped a quill in in and began to write.

There was silence that was by far the most uncomfortable. Fortunately,Fleur intervened.

"So why don't we move to the living room?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Once they had all settled down, Mrs. Weasly broke the ice.

" So, what happened to you two?" Ginny let out her breath.

It's a lengthy story," Ginny said uncomfortably.

" We'll tell you later.' Hermione added." SO what happened to you guys?" Mrs. Weasly and Mr. Weasly exchanged looks. Mrs. Weasly sighed.

" What do you wnat to know?" She asked.

" What happened at Hogwarts?' Ginny asked bluntly.

It was McGonagall who answered." It's the same except for the headmaster. No body really knows who he is and I've only seen him a handful of times. The Slytherins are getting back their power. The..the chamber has been opened for a third time by somebody I don't know about. The teachers are stumped by the number of dark objects smuggled in the school. Hagrid is the only one who has been in the forbidden forest and he reports that the dementors are swarming around there." She put hr hands on her temple like the very thought of it gave her a headache. Ginny's throat closed u at the mention of Hogwarts being overrun. It just seemed so ...protected.

" And what happened at the Ministry?" Hermione asked. This time Percy answered.

" Things are usual. Now that Kingsly is Minister, things have changed. For one, now there won't be any chance of anyone being taken b surprise. He said in an interview that the dark was regaining power but that if we stayed united, we would be able to defeat them again. He couldn't be here today, Neither could Mad-eye but you know, they are still working. The only thing is, the Order of the Phoenix can't really recruit more members because we don't know who is actually a spy and who is part of the Death Eaters. But we can't make it seem like we mistrust people so we didn't lt anybody know about the Order of Phoenix. The Wizarding bank is run by goblins and they are all very fond of Bll, as fond as they can be to humans anyway, so I think that the bank is safe. The Ministry is in a state of hysteria of course. We've had to run late editions of the Daily Prophet with news and charms to make houses invisible, amulets that protect kids and things like that. Nobody is taking this as a joke anymore. Not even trouble makers are selling fake things anymore. It is too big of a crisis to take lightly. But the Ministry is getting organized and are reallying around Harry Potter. People worship him like an idol. Defeating He-who-must-not-be-named earned him a spot of fame. People are rallying around that."

Ginny opened her mouth and closed it. She opened it again but nothing came out.

" Alright," She said at last," What happened to the Order. Last time I checked you all had survived the war, minus Remus. What happened?"

She could tell that she had hit a target. Mrs. Weasly looked down and her cheeks were tilted pink. Bill lowered his glass of fire-whiskey.

" It's...a long story," Tonks said slowly. Teddy had fallen asleep in Ginny's arms. Tonks reached a hand out and stroked his hair absently. Victore poked him and giggle, poking him again. Teddy woke up and the two engaged in a baby fight, chasing each other around. Ginny smiled. Hermine still had faint lines on her forehead. No doubt thinking about Lavender and . Weasly looked down at Hermione's bare fingers and frowned.

" Hermione?Aren't you married ?"

" ah...No," Hermione said.

" Really but Ron send us an owl saying he got engaged during the quest."

Hermione looked close to crying.

"He did but not with me. He got engaged with..with Lavender Brown. We stayed at her house for a week and they just instantly clicked. We broke up after the first night."

" Oh," Mrs. Weasly sounded shocked," I'm sorry for bringing it up then."

" It's-it's fine. George managed to make me smile sometimes, though sometimes he did it on accident like when he walked backwards and knocked Ron into a freezing pond...," Hermione gave a small giggle.

' What happened to the order?" Ginny asked.

" Well, when you left for the whole quest thing, we stationed ourselves at the Burrow," Tonks began.

" Go on," Ginny said.

" And Charlie came back from Romania to help us. And for a while, we did nothing except for stake-outs and planning what to do with we actually heard new about you guys. When your first owl came, it had been followed...,"

" No," Ginny said and Hermione gasped. They had been so careful to make sure nobody could track them.

" And after that, we couldn't let in anymore owls and so, we had to cut ourselves off from the outside world so we cast powerful spells around the Burrow. Nobody could get in without our permission. Teddy was about a couple of months old then and he was fussy. So I got one day and headed downstairs to warm up his bottle when...," Ginny and Hermione exchanged glances. They could fell something coming. Something bad. Ginny's heart sped up hyperactively.

" And...it was just a snake. I just thought that Teddy had conjured it or something or I squashed it and they..they multiplied and there was so many of them," Her breath became ragged; the hairs on Ginny's neck stood up," And I ran back upstairs but they followed. I don't know how it happened but they weren't normal. And I woke up the first they had said I was imagining them and to go back to sleep. But when they checked the house was full..full of them./ So we fought them and and...and then...," Her eyes were fearful.

Ginny swallowed past the lump in her throat." What happened?"

" But they wouldn't die," Mrs. Weasly continued," They started to spiral together like a vortex..how they did it is beyond me and I think..I think that they took away our magical boundaries, allowing Death Eaters to find us. It was about ten of us against about thirty of them.,"

Hermione's hand lept to her mouth while Ginny just nodded grimly. This was getting very weird. She had never known of anything like that happening. Not even Voldemort...

" And they just dropped down from the ceiling and...and it was a fight for our lives," She continued," And Bellatrix was there. I swear that lady will not stay dead!"

" Anyway" Tonks continued," The fighting was -eye caught a cruicio curse full in the ace and fell out the balcony but there was nothing to do. I still had half a dozen of them chasing me and Teddy was still in my arms," Her voice faltered and halted. Hermione's eyes were misty.

" And...,'Now Mrs. Weasly was speaking and looked like it was causing her severe pain," And Charlie was taking on a masked Death Eater. I never found out who...," She bit back on a sob and continued,"And he didn't see-it was much too quick and sudden..but, he was...dead." Ginny felt like the world ha been sucked down from beneath her. No...no, Charlie couldn't be dead.

" What?" Bill said.

" No," Hermione gasped. But Ginny didn't say anything. He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't.

" What...happened?" Ginny asked softly.

" He couldn't e in two places at once." Mr. Weasly said" He was engaged in combat with one of the Death Eaters and he as winning. But he doesn't have a pair of eyes o his skull you see. Something came up behind up him with a knife..."

" Knife?" Hermione interupted." But I thought they usually had a want/"

" They do,"Percy said," And I blasted his out of his hand."

" And it was over very quickly," Mrs. Weasly dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. There was silence and nobody spoke at first. Then, Tonks pushed on with the story.

' They retreated back quickly. At first, we counted our lucky stars that not all of us had died and set about to make sure the shields were up but after that, we knew that we had to move. We couldn't risk staying in one place for two long. We stayed at Sirius's house for a while until things cooled down. A few months after that, when Kingsley became Prime Minister we moved back in the Burrow. But Aurors check the house frequently to make sure that the charms haven't been breathed. The Death Eaters burned down my house and terrified my mother nearly to insanity. She's fine, of course, but she'll be in St. Mungo's for a while. The Cruico curse used on he so many times...I'm glad that she's os strong. She helps me take care of Teddy...,"

Hermione whipped away her tears with he sleeve. Ginny just sat there, too terrified to move. Charlie couldn't be dead. He had been so tough. But he was. Tears prickled in her eyes. There were too many casualties. She couldn't bare it.

" Now," Mrs. Weasly looked keenly at them,' Now, what happened to you two?"

* * *

Yeah, that was kind of short but I'll upload as soon as possible, okay? Have a good fall break!


	3. the ones who fell

Yeah, this should have been added to the last chapter but I wanted to drag things out.

* * *

Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances, one fearful, one guilty. This what what they had been afraid of.

" This...is really hard for us to talk about...," Hermione said in a small voice. Ginny heard was most o her fault.

" Start from the beginning," Tonks prompted,' Like, why did you go on the quest in the first place."

" Harry said that he wanted t make sure that the Death Eaters were actually really dead or captured. Another reason was that he heard news that...that there was a powerful artifact the Death Eaters were after and he wanted to get it first. He didn't tell us that part when we first agreed. H-he just told us w-w were going on a trip. That was why Ginny could come. On that first night..we..we...,"

"We were ambushed," Ginny put in promptly," By a couple of dark wizards. Not Death Eaters but really close. It was an ambush and then...and then, Cho Chang got herself captured and the damned..."

" Language,Ginny." Her mother warned. Ginny nodded.

" ..So we spend two weeks tracking her down to the bane of Albania." She continued." By that time, we began to suspect that Harry had a different motive for wanting us to on this quest. When he rescued Cho, he finally explained it to us. He said that Dumbledore had warned him that there were dark forces stirring. Harry hadn't been specific so naturally, we let it go. This is getting us no where." Ginny said absently.

" Skip ahead to the exciting part,' Tonks said.

' Ans which one would that be?" Hermione asked. Then she thought and said," Six months ago was when we finally had enough proof to find out that the Death Eaters were rallying around a new threat. We didn't kno what we were thinking exactly. And we were getting edging and getting cold towards each other. And then..and then we split. Me and Ginny and George dispatched from the others. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The cold nights were getting t us and the fact that any one of us could be a death eater. The suspension was tearing us apart...," Hermione falters and Ginny stepped in.

" Hermione had this idea of the artifact of what Harry was talking about. Obviously, if the Death Eaters wanted it, it had to be of great power. And if the new Dark Lord is anything like Voldemort, then it would be connected with Hogwarts. The only thing was that all the things made there were already Voldemort's. So, she had us go back to Albania by foot since we were being followed and camped out a bunch of times. There were a lot of troubles we encountered-a couple of vampires, rogue werewolves and once a dragon, I think- but it didn't slow us really. It turned out that Hermione's hunch was correct. The artifact was in the grave yard of the battle of Salzaar and Rowena. The place was invisible to Muggles and there it was-in the ashes. The only thing was that the Death Eaters had anticipated our arrival so...,"

The entire place was silent now. No even Teddy and Victore were making a .Weasly looked like somebody had smacked her. This was not what she had expected..

" They had us cornered," Hermione said in a slightly choked voice," They had been waiting for us! They..they took away our wands and began to round us up..and G-george said that he wasn't going down without a ...so he said that he'd make a distraction for us and..and" Tears began to from at her eyes." And he told us to-to use it and to..to get away." The last part came out in a whisper.

" What happened?" asked.

" George fought them of with his hands. Me and Hermione couldn't do a lot but George was the only one not tied down with ropes. And they..they backed him up and...and..." Ginny put a hand to her mouth and her voice was a ittle bit muffled," And eh couldn't see behind him. The entire place had been rigged and it..it had been raining and...one of the electric cables...broke." She swallowed." George didn't see and I couldn't say anything because there were two gurads next to me who wouldn't hesitate to kill me. He backed up and he...his foot slipped in the..the puddle and...and the electric cable had been in the water...,"

" Electricity shot up his body," Hermione said, crying now," It was horrible. He was electrocuted to death and..and the death-the death eaters were just smirking and standing there and they..burned his body. He dragged him , semi-concious out of the puddle and -and burned him alive. It took a long time and they-they made me and Ginny watch it and it was horrible...Ginny was crying and..she was the one who snapped the ropes. She knocked out one of the guards and stole back her wand. She shot a stunning spell at another one who had my wand. She wanted to stay back and kill them all but t-t-the mission. We had to go on and we-we left George behind us and left-his..body-with the-Death Eaters and-disapparated to Ireland where the others were and...George was.." Hermione broke down here and began to cry. Ginny's brain was still in shock because of it. It had been such an awful way for him to die. grabbed a tissue and began to sob. Her father looked pale. Percy had stopped writing and his expression was grave.

" What happened next?" Bill asked bravely. Ginny took over and her voice was bitter, even reliving it.

" It turned out that Harry and Cho had gotten engaged and they were living with Lavender Brown When I saw Harry being happy, his stupid quest killing George and him enjoying himself drove me mad. I wa angry and bitter and in mourning, I punched him. I told him he was an arse, I said that if it wasn't for his unreliable information and thick head, George wouldn't hav died."

" Oh, Ginny you didn't!" Fluer cried.

" But I did. And I don't regret it. I told him about what had happened to George and the damned artifact that had been the cause of that. O course, Harry said that if we hadn't taken off in the first place, it never would've happened. After all of that, he had the nerve to tell me that it was my fault. I shot a Bat-Booey Hex at him and left. Cho caught up with me, tried to make me see reason. I was sur she was taking the mickey because she was all bright and cheerful and everything. I just wanted everybody to leave me alone. I wanted everybody to leave me alone."

" My poor baby..," Mrs. Weasly sobbed. Ginny's heart throbbed painfully. This was why she didn't want t talk about this.

" Harry found me and apologized and I didn't really listen to him. But George's death was the first of many." Ginny added.

" There's...more?" Bill said slowly.

" Oh...," Tonks whispered.

" So we stayed at Lavender's house for a while,' Hermione said," She was nice and everything, giving us a place to stay. But Ron wouldn't talk to me and Ginny wasn't talking to anybody. Sometime during night..we were captured." This was the worse part of the story and everybody seemed to know that. Even the kids.

" It was a dark night," Hermione choked out," It was February 14th and Harry and Cho wanted to celebrate the holiday. So we all went to this Muggle cafe and stayed out late. We..we never knew that..that Cho was acting funny. When we wanted to go home, Cho started to say something about a secret place she wanted to show us. Me and Ginny and Ron were kind of tired but Harry insisted that there was no harm done. After all, it was only one place. What was the worse that could happen?" There was a pause and Hermione edited some things out of the story. Good thing because Mrs. Weasly looked ready to pass out.

" So, we followed Cho, Ginny a little reluctantly, but otherwise okay. It was a clear night. None of the Muggles were out and we were i an isolated part of town. Then, Cho said something about a surprise and how we had to put our wands away and all that stuff. Ginny refused point-blank to do what she said so they got in an argument. When Cho called he a name, Ginny smacked her her hard enough for the Imperio curse to reside. Then, she got panicky, telling us that it was a trap. But...it was too late. We were surrounded."

There was a very loud pause following this.

" Never..never ever again..," Percy muttered,

" Next time Mum suggest that the two of you go out together, remind me to say no." Bill said, shaking his head.

Ginny sucked in a deep breath, bracing herself for their reactions.

" We were outnumbered three to one. It was dark and we couldn't see. They had intentionally made us break ranks and forced us to run. I was about the first one to break free and run. I knew I wouldn't be able to fight. Cho came with me." Ginny said." She seemed so panicked by things and I told her to hide in the bushes. Four Death Eaters came at me. There wasn't much that I could do. One of them stole my wand and two of them wer holding Cho by the neck. The one I was up against started to jeer at me about if killing me would be as easy as killing George. He made me mad. I thin he was the only Death Eater that I took down. I ran to save Ch but it was too late. They had killed her, tortured her into insanity by the crucio curse and forced her o kill herself. I watched them torture her. I could see what they told her. They convinced her that nobody was coming to save her. She took her wand. She fired a curse at two of them. Three wands ointed towards her and it was over in a second."

Silence. Ginny's throat was so dry. She looked around for something to drink but there was othing there. Hermione took over after that.

" Me and Lavender took off in the same directions. Half a dozen or so death eaters came at us. Mostly targeting me because I still had the artifact. I shot a spell at one of the Death Eaters and I think it may have hit. Lavender Brown did her best to hold them off but she wasn't very good. Poor her. Two of the Death Eaters tied her down. They started a fire around her. I ran back to help her..the fire was up to her legs now..her clothes were inflamed...and she was crying...I ran back as quickly as I could and I tried to save her but..I couldn't move. I had to keep moving. I wasn't fast enough. Lavender was so desperate to get out of the fire, she grabbed her wand with her teeth and shot a curse at herself. It saved her a painful death but she couldn't be revived. She had stopped her heart instead of freeing her arms. By the time I went back for her, sh was stone cold. I-i knew that I couldn't save her now. I left to find Ginny."

There was a longer pause here and Ginny and Hermione looked at each other. Reluctantly, Ginny started to tell them the harsh end.

" We saw Harry and Ron when we ran past. Hermione said that we couldn't help them because they were more skilled then we were. So we waited to see what would happen. Things were looing good at first because..well, Ron was actually getting in the mood of things and he had knocked out a couple of them. Harry was okay, he was calm and efficient. But when one of them told him about Cho, he flipped out. He wasn't in his right mind. Something about the night seemed to have addled his brain and Ron...on shot a powerful spell at one of the Death Eaters and their spells collided in mid-air and Ron...Ron...oh, Mum, he fell over the c-c-cliff. A-all two hundred feet. As he fell, one of the-the spells followed him and I heard him fall into the water. I snuck down the cliff and Hermione stayed. I searched for at least an hour when I found him. He wasn't breathing. He was all cold and marble-like and one of his arms had been blasted off! But there wan't any blood coming out of it an that was when I knew that he-that he was dead."

" Oh, Ginny...," Bill said.

" But that's not all,' Hermione said," I saw Harry. He was outmatched and he watched Ron fall and he completely lost it. He would have won but..he made on mistake. He...he aimed a spell at one of them and it hit but...but it waxn't a spell that Harry had intended. It was too dark and he couldn't see. He didn't see the-the wands pointed at his back. And Bellatrix said that..that they were getting revenge for Voldemort and he..he as...," Hermione gave a great choking rasp,' Oh, goodness, Harry died!"

There was a much longer pause at this an everybody absorbed this information. The boy who lived...dead?

" Me and Ginny escaped,' Hermione whispered,' We hid out for a while before we agreed to go to Bill."

" We were the only ones who survived," Ginny whispered,' The others..."

" That's enough,' Mr. Weasly said firmly," Molly, we cn question the kids later but right now, they need lunch and a break."

" But..Arther, we have to find out what happened to our child..,"

" Molly, Ginny has been scarred from all of this. For once, _leave it be_." Hearing her dad be firm and state something out boldl was shocking. But it was even mor shocking when her mother nodded.

' O-of course. I foregot, that's all."

Teddy crawled on Ginny's lap. Ginny patted his head the story was painful enough. But to see her mother's face, accusing, like it was hr fault that Ron and Harry and George had died. That was the last straw.

" Excuse me,' Ginny whispered and left. The cottage overlooked the water and this early in the year, the waters looked calm and the view was amazing. The locket stuck to her neck like it was glued there. All of those deaths...for a stupid locket. She should chuck it in the waters right now. But she couldn't. It was the sad reminder of the price given to achieve the stupid piece of jewelry. After a while, Ginny walked back, stumbling in. It appeared like they had just finished tlking about something. Ginny didn't really want to know what they were talking about. It would only depress her even more.

" Ginny," Mrs. Weasly said," Are you alright? You look a little perky..,"

" I'm fine, Mum." Ginny said a little too harshly. Mrs. Weasly recoiled and nodded. The smile on Tonks' face faded a little.

' Ginny, do you know what that locket can do?" Ginny nodded, not surprised that Hermione had told them." Do you know that it can take you back in time?"

" Actually, I did." Ginny said." Me and Hermione were debating whether or not to go back in the past to change the future. To stop the Dark Lord from rising."

" I see,"Mrs. Weasly said calmly," And are you going to tell us who the Dark Lord is?"

" No, mum, if we told you, you wouldn't let us do this." Ginny said calmly.

" True," She sighed," I just can't believe that you are this grown up. Is Hermione going then?"

" No, I am." Ginny said." We suspect that the artifact has something around it that makes it impossible for muggle-borns or half-bloods to get heir hands on it. Even if we are blood traitors, we are still pure bloods. Hermione agreed that I should go because she...," Ginny cleared her throat and didn't finish.

" Because I know that I'm dying," Hermione said,. There was a very long pause." I mean the battle let me scarred. I know that it won't be good for me to time-travel. The..battle left a toll on me. The price I payed for picking up the accursed locket."

" Are you sure that you are alright?' Fleur demanded. Hermione gave a faint smile.

" I'm fine." She said. Ginny couldn't stand the stiff atmosphere anymore.

" I'll take Hermione to her room," She said. When nobody answered, Ginny got up quickly with Hermione on her heels.

" What did you tell them?' Ginny demanded.

" Nothing, Ginny. Just some information that they need to know. Whatever you do, keep that locket hidden."

"I know, Hermione."

The first change Ginny got, she was gonna whip the Dark Lord's arse. This was all his fault after all. With a slight frown, Hermione laid down and Ginny started downstairs.

" It's gonna be okay," Hermione said. Ginny paused.

" Maybe," Ginny allowed then added," But maybe not."

No answer.

* * *

Maybe this chapter was a little off. Maybe not. Ah, well. This may be my last update before Halloween. So if that is the case, happy Halloween! If not, I'll add it in.


	4. Back To The Past

It has been a long time since I've updated this story, hasn't it? I mean a LONG time but I'm updating now, to anyone reading this story.

I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

Ginny knew that things wouldn't get better. She knew it. But she didn't think that things would be this bad, to be honest. She stared at Hermione's face, pale against the sweat that had quickly come over her face. Her breathing was labored. It was only a matter of time before the fever consumed her and she collasped. Then Ginny would be the only one who survived.

She pursed her lips then pulled her arm away from Hermione's, leaving her small dark room. Ginny allowed herself to look at Hermione once more before closing the door on her not so peaceful face. The locket was warm in her coat, burning against her stomach despite the clothing that protected her. It was now or never.

Everybody was asleep; this would be the last chance that she would have. It was with quick determined footsteps that Ginny took the stairs, treading carefully to make sure she didn't wake up her mum who had slept with her door only partly closed. Her throat felt tight when she thought about all the sacrifices needed to get the stupid locket.

She pushed the door open, and felt the cold breeze bite at her face and slap mericlessly against her bare arms. She didn't want to go just yet, though. She wanted to stay and observe everything before she relived everything again. She was selfish; she couldn't give up everything without saying goodbye. The tickle in her throat became uncomfortable, until she was choking on it.

Her eyes took in everything in the dark horizon, the gentle cuve of the willow tree that had been planted there a year ago, for Victore to climb along with Teddy, to watch the waves slapping against the clift in gentle waves. She aproached the waves, peering down at her won warped reflection with sadness and awareness.

Her long red hair, the most cherished thing she had right now, was short and uneven, cut into a bob. She didn't even look like herself right then. She looked like somebody who had seen hell and back. Her hands tightened on the gold chain and remembered just what Harry had told her before they'd gone.

_" Remember that if we do find it, make sure to turn it back counterclockwise to the amount of time that you want to go back to," Harry leaned forward, his eyebrows pitching together in that adorable way that showed he was thinking hard. He scratched the back of his head." So, I'm guessing that..maybe 5 years?"_

_He glanced behind him to Cho, who was staring at him with fasination. Her cheeks flamed but she nodded in encouragement, one hand going to play witht he dark satin curtain that hung over her shoulders. Ginny stared at both of them, and cleared her throat loudly._

_" So, it's that simple?" Ginny cut in before Cho could say anything." Just turn it back and go back in time? That's rubbish compared to what we've gone through." Harry's eyes became pained. He started to reach a hand toward her and Ginny slapping his hand away._

_" We don't know what the effects of it will be yet," Harry admitted," But something along those eyes, yes."_

She hoped it was that simple. She had to trust Harry, though, trust that he'd actually done his homework and figured out how to get her safetly to the past.

But enough was enough. She couldn't allow herself to delay any longer. She plunged a hand into her pocket and pulled it out. The locket gleamed in the darkness. She opened it with trembling fingers and felt cold mist spray across her fingers. She grasped the gold dial and spun it around five times.

Time seemed to be moving at a slow speed. Things warped together as she started to suddenly spin. She stood up abruptly, staring above her head at ther dizzying patterns.

...

...

" GINNY! Will you get down here, please?" Her eyes popped open and she gasped, staring at white lace bedsheets and an old poster staring at her in the face. She sat up abruptly, rubbing her head and feeling silky hair bunch under her hands. She gasped and turned toward the edge of her room, staring at the window that showed a blurred image of her face.

On top of her face was long curly pieces of hair, smooth and silky and curling to her back. Trembling, she put a hand to her cheek, running the edge of her thumb near the edge of her jaw to feel the scar that had been a result of the battle of Hogwarts. It was gone.

Her skin was perfect. She felt numb, torn between the desire to cry and jump for joy. She'd done it. She was once again 16. She was back to change what had happened.

" GINNY! Will you get down here, please?" Her mum's loud voice rang out through the house. She jumped and grabbed the jacket that was forever hanging off of the back of an old chair. Ginny never wore it out because it was full of holes but it ws warm and fleecy for early morning breakfast. Her mum was cooking bacon, waving her wand at an kettle that whistled loudly.

Bill was the only one sitting at the table, chewing on his bacon slowly, watching Fleur move around the room as though mesmorized by everything that she did. Once in a while, she would catch his eye and give a bright smile that made the room light up. Ginny threw her arm around Bill's neck in excitement. He choked.

" Ginny, what are you trying to do?" He asked, choking and she loosened her grasp and smiled brightly. He stared at her weirdly before saying slowly," Morning, Gin."

" Good mor'ing, Geenny," Fleur said, looking up from her magizine to smile brightly at her. Ginny felt a strange throb at her heart. She remembered how cruel she'd been to Fleur, calling her all those names and wasn't it Fleur who had helped her when she was near death?

" Morning Bill. Morning Fleur," She said, and sat dowon, attacking her toast and bacon with a hungry groan. She'd missed her mum's cooking the most when they'd gone on that horrible journey. Fleur eyes her curiously underneath her long eyelashes.

" Ginny, are you all right? You're looking a bit peckish." Her mum said, frowning at her with a shrewd expression. Ginny shrugged off the comment and went back to eating, which forced Mrs. Weasely to turn her attention to Fleur, who was checking her reflection on the back of a spoon.

" Geenny vill look so preetty next to Gabrielle," Fleur mused," But no pink. Zat vould clash with Geenny's hair 'orribly." Her eyes went dreamy when she talked about it. But Mrs. Weasely looked positively murderous.

" Bill, dear, I asked Tonks to come over tonight," She spoke deliberately louder than nessasary," She's a lovely girl and she needs some cheering up. But something came up and I need to go to Diagon Alley tonight for a while. Could you entertain her until I get back?" Bill nodded, not seeming to find anything offputting about her words. However Fleur frowned and tossed her long mane of hair. Ginny frowned slightly at her mum's back, wondering why she'd never known about her mum trying to tear them apart until now.

" 'Kay, mum,. but why do you need to go to Diagon Alley anyway? It's not like we're sort on supplies-unless you want to spy on Fred and George. Do ya reckon that their business is actually as popular as they said?" He asked that last part to Fleur. Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat loudly, her cheeks pink.

" Harry will be coming tomorrow," She said," And I need to get a few nessasary things for his stay-we only have enough food for someone with an appetite as big as Ron's and Harry eats as much as he does, if not more."

" Mum, why don't I go?" Ginny asked quietly," I need new robes anyway."

" Absoloutely not, young lady," Mrs. Weasely said, giving Ginny a sharp glare," Not with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named lurking out there. I'll go by myself. You just wait for Tonks...and Harry," she added quickly. Ginny nodded, not really paying attention. A larger part of her mind was focused on what time period she was in. Obviously, it was when she was in her fith year...the year Dumbledore died.

Ginny swallowed thickly and remembered that she couldn't change his death. Hermione had been very specific about that. Shuffling feet came behind her and she turned quickly. Ron came into the room, rubbing sleep out of his eyes even as he grabbed a plate of bacon.

" 'at goi' on?" He asked in a mumble. He swallowed his bacn whole before cracking open one eye. Ginny felt a surge of happiness that was suddenly engulfed by a burning anger. How dare he hurt Hermine that way?

"Hello, Ron," Ginny said brightly and he stared at her like she came from another world. Without another word, he took his food away to the living room. Ginny twisted her hands together and stared down.

She was back in the past. Now, what?

* * *

**A/N**

**This was all I could think of to write. Read and review, please!**


End file.
